La Pizza Fresca Ristorante

31 East 20th Street

New York, NY 10003

212-598-0141

June 2007

La Pizza Fresca is one of my favorite places to go in New York for a simple, casual meal. Although the atmosphere is informal the food is prepared with the highest-quality ingredients and is always delicious. Owner Brad Bonnewell has assembled a winelist I can only describe as extraordinary for both its depth and breadth. I think it is fair to say that La Pizza Fresca’s selection puts most lists in New York to shame, and that includes those of much more upscale establishments. Diners will find a jaw-dropping number of wines, including a veritable treasure trove of hard to find bottles.

We started with the mozzarella di bufala, which I often order when I eat here. It is awfully hard to beat a plate of fresh mozzarella and San Daniele prosciutto. The grilled asparagus wrapped with prosciutto was also delicious. We shared a selection of the wood-oven pizzas for which the restaurant is most famous. I loved the signature La Pizza Fresca, which was topped with bufala mozzarella, fresh cherry tomatoes, black olives, Parmiggiano Reggiano and basil. The Monte Bianco (Robiola, Parmiggiano Reggiano, Fontina, porcini mushrooms and prosciutto) was rich and a terrific match with our bigger wines.